It’s not even been three whole weeks since Jonathan Kuminga was first linked to the Lakers early in free agency, but it sure feels like this saga has dragged out forever.
Realistically, this should have always been the expectation with Kuminga and his agent, given how things played out with Golden State last season. It could also be seen coming with the most recent report that his free agency was going on pause until LeBron James made a decision.
Even if things are on pause now, though, it didn’t seem
like the Lakers and Kuminga were making much headway on a deal. Pair that with everything coming to a halt and, as written by Dan Woike of The Athletic, the momentum on a deal has come to a grinding halt.
The Athletic has reported on the Lakers’ interest in free agent Jonathan Kuminga since late June, but it appears that momentum has stalled with the sides far apart on terms and L.A. not overly motivated to push significant draft capital into sign-and-trade scenarios. Still, he appears to be the biggest upside play left on the table, and could re-emerge as a target if his market remains tepid. Cleveland, according to league sources, is the team most-often connected to Kuminga other than the Lakers.
The Lakers are now in a spot where a consolidation trade is necessary after the signing of Matisse Thybulle. While the team was always going to be in a position where they were going to have to make a trade to acquire Kuminga, they’re now in a spot where they have to trade two players to open up a roster spot.
Does that change whether the team has interest in Kuminga? It certainly makes it more difficult to add him to the roster, on top of being far apart on terms. If it’s starting to feel like a deal for Kuminga is feeling less and less likely, you’re not alone.
The market for him is going to have to really remain dry and Kuminga and his agent are going to have to face some harsh realities to lower their asking price quite a bit.
And if this is all starting to sound like déjà vu all over again with Kuminga’s last foray in free agency, you’re also not alone.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
